Susan Boyle has become a household name. Ever since I saw her on Britain’s got talent for the first time, she’s had the ability to move me to tears. Of enjoyment, that is. Viva, Susan, Viva. World-class. But what intrigues me most is not her ethereal voice, or that the fact that she remained undiscovered for so long, or that the people who first sniggered when she walked on stage that fateful day on Britain’s Got talent eventually rose in unanimous applause, or that even the cynical Simon was at a loss for words.
I’d like you to watch that now-famous video online, with particular focus on her body language. When the music started, she changed from a somewhat unattractive middle-aged working-class woman (no offense meant) into a DIVA. She BECAME that world-class singer she aspired to be. She BECAME Elaine Paige. Whatever the audience thought did not matter any longer.
On the contrary, I have watched many an acclaimed Hollywood actor become unstuck when coming on-stage for Larry Ling live or the David Letterman show, or to collect an Oscar. Suddenly their confidence seems to vanish and they’re no longer cool and composed. The suave actor is no longer present. He has left his movie character at the studio.
Let me give you one more example. Many years ago, at Primary school, we had an English teacher by the name of Dan Davis. Dan’s biggest challenge was to let kids talk English (their second language) in front of their peers. He solved the problem by letting them don masks. Little Johnny might have been very hesitant when chatting to Sally before putting on the mask, but in doing so he BECAME Leo the Lion. And Leo had no problems chatting to Tammy the Tiger.
So what’s happening here? My hallucination is that we all operate from the perspective of a ‘default persona’. Our ‘persona’ or ‘personality’ is basically a set of rules that govern they way we walk, talk and act in various situations, and it governs what we are capable of, or not. In short- who and what we are. I’m shy, I’m confident, I’m hot, I’m not; the list goes on and on. Now if this helps us to achieve desired results, it’s fine. But if it gets in my way, then we’ve got a problem. If your persona helped you to level out at $50K a year for the past five years, there is NO WAY you are going to breeze into a million-dollar income bracket with the co-operation of that persona.
This is the point where we, as entrepreneurs, often become unstuck. We need to create that new ‘persona’, and imbue it with all the attributes of the ‘new me’, capable of doing whatever we desire. Then put on that ‘mask’ as often as we can. And eventually BECOME that person.
Is this a tall order? Heck, no! An overnight exercise? Sadly not. But it’s fun!
PS I watched that video again, just for kicks. ENCORE!!!
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You probably found this post because you are involved in some sort of marketing, and because one of your major aims is to become, truly, financially free. If this is an accurate assessment, please read on.
I personally attach a great amount of importance to the motivating reasons behind doing things, i.e. the ‘whys’. So if we are not achieving quite the desired results in our online endeavors, it is possible that our ‘whys’ are not big enough, and that we might have to re-evaluate our way of thinking to get our proverbial house in order. Remember that all games involve a ‘mind-set’ and a ’skill-set’. Both are crucial. However in marketing, as in basketball, tennis, rugby, golf and most other sports, it is the mind-set that separates the ‘men from the boys’.
For everything we do, whether making a cup of coffee or creating a million-dollar income, there is a motivation, or a ‘motive’, for action. Upon closer inspection we can actually distinguish between two sub-classes of motivators, viz. those moving us away from pain or discomfort, and those moving us towards reward or pleasure. I don’t think we should dwell too much on the negatives, as these could act as inappropriate instructions to our subconscious minds if overemphasized. However, it is actually good to work up a little disgust and affirm; “This is IT! I’ve HAD IT!” So, in the remainder of this post, we will dwell briefly on the negatives. After that, I promise never to bring up a negative topic again!
If you are unsure of what these bad things are, let me give you some clues:
- Are you lacking ample free time?
- Is your 401k (or equivalent) enough for retirement (or, even worse…do you have ANY provision for retirement?
- Are you being pursued by the 30-day paycheck monster?
- Is there a risk of losing your job?
- Do you have to forfeit time with family members and friends due to work reasons, or not being able to travel?
- Are you sick and tired of commuting?
- Are you fed up with working for a boss?
- Do you resent the pittance you receive as a wage or salary?
- Are you unable to go on vacation four times (or more) a year?
- Do you love watching others fly planes and sail yachts while you can’t?
- Are you disgusted with your tacky wardrobe?
- When last could you afford a trip to the other side of the planet??
- Can you afford all the medical services you or your loved ones require?
- Can you afford the supplements/gym memberships etc to keep yourself in top physical shape?
- If you, or your partner, are over 50 – can you afford some much needed makeovers?
I could entertain you for another five minutes, but I think you’ve got the idea. To summarize: if you cannot do what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want to, for as long as you want to, then you have reason to feel VERY angry. Society has played a very nasty trick on you by making you believe this is inevitable. That’s a big lie!
Online marketing is a solution to this dilemma, if you do it right. But if you really want to achieve financial freedom in a very short time, you must go for it flat-out, which means your motivators (your ‘whys’) must be in overdrive.
Making a hasty retreat, away from stuff you despise, is one side of the coin. In my next article I will discuss the positive motivators; the ‘good stuff’ that pull you forward. See you there!
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Susan Boyle has become a household name. Ever since I saw her on Britain’s got talent for the first time, she’s had the ability to move me to tears. Of enjoyment, that is. Viva, Susan, Viva. World-class. But what intrigues me most is not her ethereal voice, or that the fact that she remained undiscovered for so long, or that the people who first sniggered when she walked on stage that fateful day on Britain’s Got talent eventually rose in unanimous applause, or that even the cynical Simon was at a loss for words.
